Hyde Park, NY – Famed chef and television
personality Jacques Pépin was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane
Letters degree from The Culinary Institute of America after delivering
the commencement address at the college’s New
York campus on May 22. Chef Pépin served as
personal chef to three French presidents, including Charles de Gaulle, and his
career in the United States ranged from cooking at some of the nation’s finest
French restaurants, such as New York’s Le Pavillon, to
being a trailblazing research and development chef for Howard Johnson’s.

“Today is your day,” Chef Pépin told recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and arts.
“It is a time of hope; a time to believe in yourself;
a time to dare, to be curious, to be enthusiastic, to be tenacious, and to be
engaged. It is a time in your life where the word ‘impossible’ does not exist;
a time to reach for the sky.”

Chef Pépin may be best known for
the Emmy Award-winning television program with Julia Child, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. He
has hosted several other award-winning cooking programs on PBS and his book, La Technique, was inducted into the
James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 1996. Jacques Pépin is a recipient of the Beard Foundation’s Lifetime
Achievement Award and he earned the highest civilian honor bestowed by his
native France, the Légion d’Honneur.

In bestowing the honorary doctorate, CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan cited Chef Pépin’s “lifelong commitment to excellence in cooking” and
his “well-deserved status as an exemplar of the profession, having inspired
legions to follow in your footsteps.”

CIA President Tim Ryan outfits Jacques Pépin with a CIA chef jacket during commencement exercises at the college's New York
campus on May 22, 2015. Chef Pépin received an
honorary doctorate from The Culinary Institute of America after delivering the
keynote address to graduates. (Photo
credit: Al Nowak/CIA)View hi-res image >

Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to driving leadership development for the
foodservice and hospitality industry, the independent, not-for-profit CIA
offers associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts;
bachelor’s degree majors in management, culinary science, and applied food
studies; and executive education through its Food Business School. Its
conferences and consulting services have made the CIA the think tank of the food
industry in the areas of health & wellness, sustainability, world cuisines
& cultures, and professional excellence & innovation. The college also
offers certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its
worldwide network of 48,000 alumni includes leaders in every area of
foodservice and hospitality. The CIA has campuses in New York, California,
Texas, and Singapore.